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Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, who has missed the team's past three games with a high-ankle sprain, said tonight he thinks he will return to the field after the bye and play against the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 9.

"Definitely expect to play," Johnson said at Ford Field, where he was being honored with the Ed Block Courage Award. "Looking forward to the game, playing some old teammates. So that makes it all that much better."

The three-game absence marks the longest of Johnson's career. Johnson suffered the injury late in the game against Green Bay in Week 3. He played sparingly and mostly as a decoy the next two weeks, visibly aggravating the injury on his only catch against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

He has practiced very little since the Buffalo game. If he plays against the Dolphins game, which comes after the Lions' bye week, Johnson would have about nearly weeks of recovery time for his ankle between games.

Ironically, Johnson spoke before he accepted the annual award that goes to a Lions player who has overcome an injury or adversity. Last season, Johnson fought through a painful knee injury that required weekly draining of fluid. He missed only two games.

Johnson, 29, has fought through a litany of injuries in his eight-year career. His injuries have increasingly become so commonplace that he's learn to adjust to variety of maladies.

"Every year it's going to be a point in time when you have to battle through some injuries and this year it came early," he said. "So it's just another thing to battle through. It's not really frustrating anymore because we can definitely see a light at the end of the tunnel. Things are getting better. We've just got to try to stay focused and keep concentrating on getting that thing right."

Jim Caldwell is in his first season as the Lions' coach, but he has quickly learned to appreciate the mountains of pain and the rigors of rehabilitation his star receiver has endured.

"Obviously he's a really unique individual," Caldwell said, "and I think some of the physical ailments that he's battled through, particularly last year was one of those situations where he played the great majority of the season with a nagging couple of injuries. ...

"But his perseverance, his courage, the way in which he handles things, his humility, how hard he works to try and get back to help his teammates out. But he's a tremendous individual."

Trainer honored: Former Lions head athletic trainer Dean Kleinschmidt was honored with the Ricky Sandoval Award, which is named for the team's late director of security and recognizes individuals who have made contributions both in sports and in the community.